The Very Positive Side to Trump’s Victory: A Baker’s Dozen

This is a Guest Post by Rachel Olivia O’Connor (unedited, from the visceral heart)

I wish Joe Bageant were alive for many reasons, not the least of which is that it would have gladdened his heart to see the Rust Belt citizens and their counterparts down South feeling that Donald might be doing the right thing by them, giving them hope, a modicum of relief and respect. I interviewed Joe twice, and I know that he would have been sky high over the presidential results.

That’s my first entry here in my list of a baker’s dozen. The other “sides” to my personal joy are listed below (in no special order). Keep in mind, if you will, that I’m one of the most radical souls on earth, with many decades of having my head bashed in at the barricades (in the name of leftist causes) under my belt. I belt out what’s below now because of the highly unproductive commentary coming out of alternative media outlets and from mainstream sources freaking out about Trump’s downsides. I’m fully aware of his horrid downsides.

1. BAD ROLE MODEL HILLARY IS DENIED. It’s a good thing that the first woman president didn’t wind up being Hillary, who is no more of a “woman” than Madeleine Albright or Stephanie Powers. No more of a “woman” than Obama was an authentic black man empathizing with his black brothers and sisters. Who in their right mind would want a role model for young women like Michelle Obama, cheer leading the bombing of women abroad. We could and should do much better down the road… in the name of young women. Hillary would have out-Michelled Michelle shelling innocent women overseas, selling out many women on the domestic front. Her Freudian slip in her Concession Speech showed her soul, when she was listing our freedoms, and said, “freedom to warship.”

2. NAFTA AND TPP UNDERMINED. Seems like we might have a chance to deal with these two “trade deals” appropriately, as per Donald’s words.

3. OUR NUCLEAR DYNAMIC. Donald will give us a chance, maybe, to live peacefully with Russia, yes? All we can ask for his a shot at this, which we would never have had with Hillary, to put it mildly.

4. CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES. In his Acceptance Speech, Donald seemed to be quite sincere respecting his interest in treating others abroad with respect, wanting to be “fair” with them. One should never forget that anyone running for office says what they think they have to say to secure that office as a primary priority. What I’m saying here cannot be negated simply because of Donald’s horrific stances and statements about foreigners to date.

5. CLARITY. Noobfuscation with Donald; he’s always quite clear in his communication. Anyone can have a hidden agenda, of course. But his words in a given moment are never glossed over with tactful expressions designed to play both ends against the middle. And I doubt if he’s going to have one POV for the public and one for his private purposes; they’ll tend to blend, as they rarely do with career politicians.

6. BENEFIT TO ACTIVISTS. With regard to climate issues, racism and all else that concerns decent, aware citizens, I’d say that people are much more likely now to get into gear with hyper-activism, stirring up the creative juices of one and all dramatically to deal with the threats that Donald represents; activism, in general, would have gone to sleep with Clinton, as it did with Obama. The usual would have ensued. Not now. Just look at what’s being posted on alternative media outlets if you want to confirm that the Call of the Wild Activists is being screamed out loud and clear like never before.

7. NATO. I heard more than one commentator this week note that Donald is a threat to NATO; this is related to #3 above, of course, and the potential thrills me.

8. OBAMACARE. Let’s hope that he makes good on his promise to do better than Barack. Again, we have a shot at activists forcing his hand along the lines that we desire. It does no good to lament what we think he’ll do to us with healthcare in lock step with other Republicans. Obama’s game plan — which Hillary would have reinforced in spades — was not working. And slumbering citizens — not wanting to upset Healthcare Hillary, the first woman president — would have watched our medical morass get worse, probably without comment. Much like minorities wouldn’t speak out meaningfully against the first black president.

9. ELECTORAL COLLEGE. I don’t like the system, and the fact that Hillary won the popular vote might move citizens to seriously review it.

10. EMPATHY. They’re might be a chance now for privileged, educated “victims” of the kind of education that’s in vogue, for well-off consumers in our elitist culture to acknowledge that they’re not better than ordinary working folks. This CLASS-related point has to do with treating others as equal human beings, and it can’t be negated by pointing out that Donald’s a capitalist pig. Rather, those that think they’re really better than the immiserated of the Rust Belt and the Rural South are going to have an opportunity — regardless of Donald’s business shenanigans — to be humane for the first time vis-a-vis labor and common folk who rarely get the spotlight (except when the media wants to exploit their plight).

11. ENTERTAINMENT. Read fun. Contrast the boring, predictable bull blah blah that comes out of Hillary the Hun’s mouth routinely with the one-liners and visual laughs that come down the pike courtesy of Donald. Seriously, the country and the world needs some laughs. Granted, the reality show shit doesn’t sit well with me at all. That said, though, I ask readers to see the benefit of a belly laugh now and then versus the bland and damned package provided by the Clintons; don’t forget that we’d be seeing Bill way too much again if she had been elected… and — I don’t know about you, but… — he never fails to turn my stomach. I’m happy about the prospect of belly laughs. Emma Goldman said that she didn’t want to be a part of any revolution where she couldn’t dance. I see a lot of people dancing more who couldn’t before. And don’t forget the Tupamaros’ mantra O bailan todos o no baile nadie. Maybe everyone will have a chance to dance now.

12. YOUR CHOICE. I do have another point of my own to insert here, but — on second thought — I thought that I should ask you to come up with the last item. Encourage you to get proactive, as it were. To directly participate in being a part of finding something positive about the Trump victory which you can run with. So that you can be on that team that intends to build bridges, and create the watershed in history which is now necessary.

PK Willey, Ph.D., is an American, a Gandhian scholar, author and entrepreneur, who has delved deeply into Gandhi's Earth Ethics.Willey seeks to enhance philosophical discourse around the world, particularly in the USA, and finds Gandhi's ideas, thoughts, and example, to be invaluable in this effort.Currently, besides numerous articles and book projects, Willey is developing a new framework for qualitative research that employs Earth Ethics, guided by Weibust's Transformative Paradigm.